Team Principal at Red Bull spoke wth F1.com regarding the recent success of Max Verstappen and the woes his teammate Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez has faced. Specifically Perez has failed to make it to Q3 in the last two races. This failure to qualify in the top 10 greatly impacted his ability to compete for podiums. It also reduced the amount of championship points acquired while Verstappen has maximized his point advantage from Monaco and Spain.
Christian Horner Comments on Perez
When speaking to F1.com Horner stated, “He has nothing to lose now, and I think he just needs to relax, he can breathe out, and just drive like we know he’s capable of, like he did in Azerbaijan and some of the early races this year. Being Max Verstappen’s team mate… Take nothing away, there’s not a driver out there today, I believe, that would have beaten Max in that car today,” Horner continued. “He’s up against a driver that is at the top of his form, and that’s very tough. Checo, mentally, it’s a really tough thing to deal with. But as I say, I think now, there is that separation in the points, that may actually take the pressure off him a little, and the expectation he’s putting on himself, he needs to let go of that now and just be free to drive.”
While Horner offered these words it is unlikely that Perez will welcome the sympathy. The 2023 season is the first chance Checo has had at a title run in his F1 career. At the age of 33 it may also be his last opportunity in a top team car. Red Bull did give Perez a new two-year deal until end of 2024. However, with Verstappen’s form seemingly improving week by week its hard to imagine a scenario where Checo can remain competitive.
Currently Max Verstappen leads the championship by 53 points.
Full F1 Championship Points Standings
| Position | Rider/Team | Wins | Points |
|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen Red Bull | 5 | 170.00 |
| 2 | Sergio PerezRed Bull | 2 | 117.00 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso Aston Martin | 0 | 99.00 |
| 4 | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 0 | 87.00 |
| 5 | George Russell Mercedes | 0 | 65.00 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz Ferrari | 0 | 58.00 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc Ferrari | 0 | 42.00 |
| 8 | Lance Stroll Aston Martin | 0 | 35.00 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon Alpine | 0 | 25.00 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly Alpine | 0 | 15.00 |
| 11 | Lando Norris McLaren | 0 | 12.00 |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg Haas | 0 | 6.00 |
| 13 | Oscar Piastri McLaren | 0 | 5.00 |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo | 0 | 4.00 |
| 15 | Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo | 0 | 4.00 |
| 16 | Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri | 0 | 2.00 |
| 17 | Kevin MagnussenHaas | 0 | 2.00 |
| 18 | Alex Albon Williams | 0 | 1.00 |
| 19 | Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri | 0 | 0.00 |
| 20 | Logan Sargeant Williams | 0 | 0.00 |
For more coverage on Formula 1 check out F1.com